Submarine Blues
by LieutenantjgMegAustin
Summary: When Harm and Meg visit the Tigershark on AJ's orders, Meg goes to interview the suspect and gets more than what she bargained for, causing Harm to fear for her life.


_I hope I got Meg right...I used AJ cause I hated Lindsey_

**Submarine Blues **

Lieutenant (j.g) Meg Austin entered Washington JAG Headquarters, running. She was late for the morning meeting. She chucked her briefcase into her office, bypassed getting a coffee and kept going to Commander Lindsey's office to meet with Harm. As she ran, she barreled into a superior officer.

"Lieutenant!" He barked at her, helping her up. Meg stood to attention, staring at the tall, balding man with Rear-Admiral Upper Class insignia on his uniform. "Explain why you're late." He folded his arms across his chest.

"I was in a car accident, sir. I had to wait for the towing company to take my car, and then I had to wait for a cab." She replied. "I'm sorry sir, I should have called but…"

"Are you okay?" Admiral Chegwidden asked her. Meg nodded, starting to shiver a little. "You're in shock. Come and sit down. Krennick! Get this young lieutenant some water." He led Meg to his office, where Harm sat.

"Meg! Are you okay? I tried calling you."

Meg sank into a chair. "I'm fine, sir. I was just in a minor car accident. Everything is fine." She replied. Harm stared at her.

"Minor! You've got a cut on your head." he received a glare from Meg and Admiral Chegwidden.

"If she says she is fine, then she is fine." Krennick said as she came in, handing Meg the water. After having some to put everyone at ease, Meg put the glass on the desk in front of her. Krennick harrumphed and left the room. Admiral Chegwidden sighed and turned his attention to the two younger officers in front of him.

"Lieutenant (j.g) Austin and Lieutenant Commander Rabb…I hope you two didn't cause too much trouble for Commander Lindsey." He watched Meg carefully. "Lieutenant, are you sure we can't do anything for you, like take you to the hospital?"

"No, thank you, sir. I was checked out at the scene. It's just whiplash…and minor bruising. I can do my job." She was defiant, the look in her eyes fighting Harm down. Admiral Chegwidden nodded.

"Okay, fine. Now, there's been a murder on a submarine…Lieutenant?" he asked Meg as she went a little pale. Harm jumped in.

"Lieutenant Austin is claustrophobic sir…she's suffered an attack before. I recommend…"

"I'll be fine as long as you can keep me busy, sir. And as long as we don't submerge." Meg cut him off. Admiral Chegwidden arched his eyebrows.

"Okay Lieutenant, but the minute something goes wrong, you're coming home. Safety precautions for you, and the investigation…I take it you can control it for her, Commander?"

"Well, I did last time, sir." Harm replied as they were handed their files and information. Admiral Chegwidden looked up at them.

"You leave in an hour to go to the USS Tigershark…be careful: the murderer is still on board. Rabb, it's up to you to make sure Lieutenant Austin is safe. Dismissed!"

Harm led Meg out the office, and she kept biting her lip until they reached their office. "I don't need protection, Harm." She said softly. "I can take care of myself."

"He's just looking out for you. You've just been in a car accident, you are prone to claustrophobic attacks…Meg, you're at your most vulnerable at the moment." He held her at arms length, trying to catch her eye. "Meg? Are you in pain?"

"Just my back, but I'll be fine."

"Come, I'll give you a lift and we'll go to the airbase together. Are you sure you can do this?"

"You need me, if there are computer weapons systems involved…you know you'll need me, Harm." She replied as he led her out, carrying her briefcase. She put her cover on and followed him to his car.

"A sixty-three Corvette, Harm?" she asked cheekily. Harm laughed.

"Get inside, Meg."

_Tigershark_

Meg rubbed her neck, moaning as she sat on her bed in her stateroom. Harm knocked on the door.

"Meg, are you okay?" he asked. He entered quietly to find her rubbing her neck. "Hey, let's see that…" he murmured gently, rubbing it for her. "Any better?"

"No," Meg replied. "You're making it worse." She snapped. Harm stared at her in shock. Meg closed her eyes and leant back, falling into him, half-asleep. "Sorry sir, it just hurts a lot."

"Don't worry, here." He eased her into bed. "Have a rest, I'll check on you later." He brushed her hair out her face and left, closing the door. Petty Officer Joel Campbell watched carefully.

"Sir, Captain Brennan will see you now," he said, leading Harm to the main control centre.

"Where's your partner?" Brennan asked Harm as he approached without Meg. Campbell saluted and left them.

"She's a little dizzy so she's lying down for a little while. She'll be fine though."

"Right…well, tell her to be careful. Our last victim was a female officer: she was doing a trial run, learning how to work submarines. Lieutenant Angela Conlin. I'd watch your partner closely."

"Did anyone pay extra attention to Lieutenant Conlin?" a voice asked from behind. Harm turned and saw Meg. He went to ask her what she was doing there, but she beat him to it.

"I couldn't sleep…I thought I could help?" she asked hopefully. Harm shifted and made a space for her.

"Petty Officer Campbell. He seems to have an authority problem, especially with women. One reason he was shipped out here. Be careful, Lieutenant." The skipper said calmly to her.

"I will." Meg replied simply. Harm moved and made room for her beside him. "Is there anything I can be doing, sir?"

"No, I'll come and get you when we need to question suspects and witnesses." Harm said. "Go and lie down, okay?"

"With all due respect sir, I feel fine. I am here to work not lie in some bed." Meg argued. Harm glared at her.

"Excuse me, skipper." He said, and pulled Meg away, so they could talk privately. "Okay, lieutenant, I gave you an order to go and lie down. Do you not remember your car accident earlier?" he gripped her wrist to keep her still. "Meg!" he hissed at her.

"Yes I do Harm, but I can't lie in that bed…the claustrophobia is worse." Meg explained, looking down, ashamed. Harm loosened his grip, and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell me? Meg, I really want to do a few interviews alone, and I need you at your best. Can you try and sleep?"

She nodded. "I can try…I just felt like I was suffocating, Harm." Meg added. Harm led her back to her stateroom and tried comforting her, waiting until she was asleep before he left. As he left, Petty Officer Campbell entered, watching her sleep. He touched her face, and watched as she flinched. Campbell left as she started stirring, slamming the door closed, causing Meg to jolt awake.

"Harm!" she called, looking around the tiny room nervously before getting out of bed, pacing the room nervously. A banging on the door five minutes later startled her.

"Come in," she called. Harm entered and crossed the room to her, taking her hands and making her sit down. "Harm, were you in here touching my face before?" she asked him. Harm shook his head.

"No…Meg, are you sure somebody was in here?" he asked, sitting on the bed with her. Meg nodded.

"I could feel them near me…I thought it was just you being protective but…what if it was Petty Officer Campbell, Harm?"

Harm gripped her hand until she yelped and pulled it away. "I don't know Meg…" he trailed off. "Meg, I need you to interview Petty Officer Campbell in a few minutes. Can you handle that?"

"Of course," Meg replied. Harm smiled at her and squeezed her shoulders.

"I'm only concerned because of his attitude to women who are superior to him, Meg. Be careful, okay?" Harm asked her. Meg nodded, getting up and straightening her uniform.

"Of course. I don't go into these situations blind or without a purpose."

Petty Officer Campbell looked up as Meg entered, and smiled. Meg fixed him with a defiant glare, and sat down in front of him, Campbell rose to his feet, edging towards her.

"Sit down, petty officer." She demanded. Campbell ignored her and reached out, touching her hair. She swatted at him angrily. "I said, sit down."

Campbell ignored her and grabbed Meg around the neck, and locked the door. Meg gasped for breath as claustrophobia set in and she lost consciousness. Campbell tied her up with duct tape, and taped her mouth shut, throwing her into the wall.

Harm banged on Meg's stateroom door forty minutes later, thinking she had spent enough time in the interview. He opened it to find her not there.

"Meg?" he called. The skipper heard him and came to his side. "She's not here." Harm said.

"She's probably still interviewing Campbell."

Harm shook his head. "Lieutenant Austin does not take this long to conduct an interview."

Meg awoke groggily to find herself tied up, with a cut to her forehead. "Harm." She tried calling, and received a slap from Campbell for it. He grabbed her upper arm and she cried out, her cry muffled by the duct tape over her mouth.

"Stay here." Campbell ordered her. "You're too much fun to kill instantly."

Meg moaned. Her neck, and back were playing up again, and she now had two cuts on her head, the newer one more like a gash than a cut. She found her feet and hands tied up, and was struggling to breathe. She could feel the claustrophobia setting in already. Meg felt her breathing weakening her body as she shivered and started sweating before losing consciousness again.

Campbell entered the mess hall for dinner, and averted his attention from Harm, who turned to Captain Brennan. "My partner has been missing for three hours, and here he is. He's done something to her," Harm hissed, getting up. "I'm going to find her."

"Commander Rabb! If he has hurt your partner, if you go and look for her now, you will make him suspicious."

"And she could be dead by the time we find her." Harm replied. Brennan sighed, watching Campbell sit down with his mates to eat. "Captain, she's claustrophobic, and she was in a minor accident this morning…anything he has done to her may have exacerbated her injuries and phobia."

After dinner, Campbell returned to his quarters to check on Meg, Harm and Brennan following him. Campbell took out a knife and played with it, slicing Meg's arms open tauntingly. In one action, he sliced her uniform open and made a cut on her face. Brennan and Harm chose this moment to burst in, Brennan taking Campbell down, subduing him. Harm knelt in front of Meg and took the duct tape off her.

"Meg, wake up." He said, shaking her. "Meg…" he shook her harder and she moaned, gasping for breath. "It's okay, I've got you Meg. Hang in there." He said, stroking her forehead as the corpsman came in with a first aid kit to patch her cuts up. Harm laid her down, her head on his lap, holding her hand. Meg was still unconscious, but he could see her trying to wake up.

"Okay, let's get her to the sick bay. She'll wake up soon." The corpsman said, Harm lifting her into his arms and making his way slowly to the sickbay. Meg burrowed into him a little and he tightened his grip around her.

"You're okay Meg. You're going to be okay."

Meg woke up three days later in Bethesda, Harm and the Admiral by her side. Harm smiled when he saw her eyes open. Admiral Chegwidden smiled to.

"Good to see you're back with us, Lieutenant." He said. "I trust everything is going to be okay now? They told me you're staying for a week. You should have gotten your back checked out earlier, Meg. And your concussion." He sat by her bed. "I would have understood, Meg. I'm not a demon like a lot of commanding officer's who expect their officers to work no matter what."

Meg remained silent all the time, taking everything in. the space, being above water.

"How did I get here?" she asked. Harm took her hand gently.

"After they fixed you up properly in the sick bay, they transported you here in a Medivac helicopter. You've been unconscious for three days, Meg." Harm explained to her.

"And left you with all the paperwork?" Meg asked, making a weak joke. Harm smiled.

"Cute, Meg, very cute. I don't mind. I only want you to get better."

"I feel okay though," Meg replied. Harm shook his head.

"The doctors said you have severe whiplash in your neck and back and that you have a bad concussion. But I promise I'll come by everyday, okay?" he said gently to her. Meg sighed.

"Okay," Meg replied, her eyes closing. Harm kissed her forehead and left, AJ staying behind, watching her. The scars weren't as bad as they had been, but they were still there.

"See you soon, Meg. I promise you can come back to work as soon as you're fit." He left with Harm, glad that his two junior attorneys were okay, and that Petty Officer Campbell was behind bars.

_A week later_

Harm looked up from his work to the door. AJ stood with Meg by his side. She was smiling. Harm smiled too and got up, crossing the room to her and hugging her. Meg laughed gently.

"Ready for action?" he asked. "We're going in a Tomcat."

"I'm always ready for action, Harm." Meg replied. AJ smiled and stepped aside for them.

"No theatrics, Rabb. And don't crash." He warned. He had read Harm's service file.

"I don't crash, just take hard landings." He replied, leading Meg out as they both started laughing. He squeezed her shoulders tightly.

"Good to have you back, Meg."

"It's good to be back, sir."


End file.
